Feature
by Daniel Laverick
“Movie trailers
are designed to give you an idea
of the film in question in a very short space of
time”
(from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy trailer)
The marketing campaign of the modern
Hollywood film consists of a myriad of assaults on our senses.
Articles in magazines, chat show interviews with the stars,
huge billboard posters and the sale of toy light sabres,
all aim to increase the financial return on films that can
cost up to £200 million to make.
Despite these marketing tactics that range from the extravagant
(a life size X-Wing on display at the London premiere of Star
Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)), to the bizarre (free packets
of breath mints adorned with the films title given away at
the first run screenings of The Transporter (2002)), the trailer
remains the most effective weapon in a films marketing arsenal.
The trailer has been an integral part of film promotion since
feature length sound films were made. It offers the audience
the first visual images from the film itself. This is important
in establishing to cinemagoers what kind of film it is, who
it stars and what they can expect. The construction of the
trailer is all the more essential today, especially in the
era of the high concept film and the importance attached to
the opening weekend at the box office, the takings of which
can make or break a Hollywood blockbuster.
To begin with, I want to consider what
is referred to as the ‘high
concept’ film. In one way, the name given to this form
of filmmaking is somewhat paradoxical. The high concept film
tends to have a simplified narrative that is easy to understand,
market and consume. The image and style of the film dominates
all other aspects so we are left with, in the worst example,
a superficial production with no real depth or meaning. These
films can be categorised into certain types that an audience
is familiar with, films that guarantee pleasures we are accustomed
to, films that do what they say on the tin. In the case of
the high concept movie, the tin is the film trailer and poster.
High Concept and the Memorable Image
 The most significant factor in the design
of the film poster lies in the creation of a memorable image,
a recognizable identifying image that an audience can relate
to the film in question, E.T (1982) is a prime example. The
image of E.T’s outstretched
finger touching that of Eliot’s establishes the film
as the emotional story of a connection between E.T and a young
child. This singular image is transferred to the trailer and
acts as a kind of brand for the film itself, something that
is remembered by audiences. I would argue that trailers for
high concept films can also create a similar ‘brand’ in
the form of a scene or clip from the film. This could be an
extension of the image used on the poster or something entirely
different. Such clips are granted a sense of importance in
the trailer through the use of a musical crescendo and by being
placed, usually, at the end of the trailer itself. These clips
are also repeated in the T.V trailers that are usually only
thirty seconds long or less; a short time span that requires
a careful choice of striking and memorable images. The constant
repetition of the same image in the promotion of a film eventually
leads to an audience connection between said image and the
film it is from. One example comes from the series of films
that have had a phenomenal marketing strength through the vast
array of characters in the films and grandiose special effects.
I am of course referring to the Star Wars franchise.
After the criticism from fans and critics alike for Star Wars:
The Phantom Menace (1999), George Lucas and his team had to
create a sense of excitement for the second instalment despite
the huge fan base that Star Wars has. They managed to stir
up additional interest in the film through the character of
Yoda. The trailer for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002)
featured Yoda in the final scene, activating his light sabre
in preparation for battle. This was accompanied by a TV teaser
trailer campaign of a similar image, playing on the anticipation
of seeing Yoda fight a light sabre duel. The focus on this
popular character was designed to arouse interest in the film
with
a promise of more action than it’s predecessor, a film
that was criticized for it’s lengthy sections of dialogue
and lack of excitement. A similar campaign for the third film,
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, involves the creation of anticipation
for the return of Darth Vader. The end of the trailer features
a short scene from the film of Darth Vader, accompanied by
the sound of his distinctive heavy breathing. Excitement is
generated through the guaranteed return of characters who have
taken on a legendary status for fans of the film. The Star
Wars films are extraordinary in their position as blueprints
for the modern day high concept film. High box office returns
are more or less guaranteed for a film in George Lucas’ series
through the extensive interest in the films that is already
in place. The Star Wars marketing campaign didn’t cease
after the release of Return of the Jedi (1983), spin off films,
books and continuous merchandising have ensured that interest
in the franchise has remained for the more recent productions
to take advantage of. Further audience interest is mustered
through a concentrated campaign centred around characters who
are already well known, not only to the hardcore fans, but
also to the average cinemagoer.
Diverse Audiences and Formulaic Trailers
Not all high concept films can follow
the route of films like Star Wars and Jurassic Park on their
quest for high revenues. Be Cool (2005) (the sequel to Get
Shorty) does not have the vast merchandising potential to
compete with these films yet the trailer adheres to the generic
formula of the majority of high concept film trailers. There
are no small, green, light sabre wielding aliens, monstrous
dinosaurs or spectacular special effects for the marketing
team to exploit in Be Cool. What it does have, are elements
that are used to appeal to a wide range of audience groups.
The modern day high concept trailer must be made with a multitude
of target audiences in mind. This is a factor that is taken
into consideration, usually, before the film is even shot.
A film cannot appeal to one demographic; it must speak to
different audience factions in different ways. By altering
the way in which a film is sold through various forms of
promotion and to various audience groups, the film maximises
it’s potential for large box office returns.
The high concept film has to be ambiguous, able to morph into
whatever the audience desires. In Hollywood, Hype and Audiences
(Manchester University Press, 2002), Thomas Austin delves into
the inconsistent ways in which Bram Stokers Dracula (1992)
was sold. When analysing the way in which the film was presented,
Austin identifies a number of tactics undertaken in its promotion.
“It (Bram Stokers Dracula) was
variously advertised,
reviewed and consumed as the latest creation of an
auteur, a star vehicle (for any of four stars), a reworking
of a popular myth, an adaptation of a literary ‘classic’,
as horror, art film or romance, or as a mixture of
these genres. In other words, Bram Stokers Dracula
was organised as a dispersible text, designed and
positioned to touch base with all the sectors of
the audience”.
So Bram Stokers Dracula was promoted
in different ways to appeal to different, often oppositional,
audience types. Francis Ford Coppola’s reputation as a Hollywood auteur was exploited
along with the famous story of Dracula and the appeal of the
films many stars. The trailer attempts to focus on many of
these aspects in order to ‘hook’ as diverse an
audience as possible. In much the same way, the trailer for
Be Cool promotes the film using the same method.
In the opening ten seconds of the Be
Cool trailer the viewer is instantly informed that this is
the sequel to  Get Shorty (1995), the predominant selling
point of the film. The sequel film must strive to connect
itself with the original that we assume (as it has spawned
a second film) must have had a degree of success. The familiar
voice over informs us that this film comes from the author
and producers of Get Shorty and in the process of two scenes
we are up to speed with what the central protagonist, Chili
Palmer (played by John Travolta), has been up to. We hear
Chili say “I’ve been thinking about
getting out of the movie business” and in an instant
he is discussing becoming involved in the music industry with
another character. The premise for the entire film is explained
in seconds, Be Cool is simply Get Shorty in a slightly different
setting. This is a film that fans of the original are familiar
with including the character of Chili Palmer. There are numerous
scenes of him hurling people across tables and through windows
in the cool, calm and collected manner he did in the first
film. Like all sequels, Be Cool is sold primarily on the strength
of its connection to its predecessor Get Shorty.
The inclusion of several well-known
stars is another trait of the high concept film. Having a
cast of actors who appeal to a variety of audience groups
will arouse interest in those who have enjoyed the previous
films of the actors in question. Be Cool has a plethora of
stars, one of whom was almost certainly chosen due to her
cinematic history with John Travolta. The star power of Travolta,
Harvey Keitel, Vince Vaughn, Uma  Thurman and The Rock is
heavily used to promote the film. I want to highlight the
inclusion of Uma Thurman and The Rock in particular. When
Thurman and Travolta starred in Pulp
Fiction (1994) together,
the dance scene became one of the most memorable moments of
the film. By casting them together in Be Cool, the producers
and director have attempted to exploit this scene, directly
referencing Pulp Fiction in the trailer. A clip from the trailer
shows Thurman and Travolta sitting opposite each other, Thurman
asks “Do you dance Chili?” and before you know
it we see them on the dance floor together. Even the camera
angle and setting evoke memories of the original. This link
to Pulp Fiction attempts to rekindle memories of the film in
the viewer, virtually transporting a scene from another film
into Be Cool. Its inclusion cannot be classed as homage to
Pulp Fiction in the way that the Odessa steps sequence from
Battleship Potemkin (1925) was used in The Untouchables (1987)
for example. This is used as a marketing ploy, as a spectacle
within the film designed to attract fans of Pulp Fiction. The
dance sequence does not progress the narrative in any way,
its existence is specifically tailored towards an audience
group as a film spectacle.
The casting of the WWE wrestler, The Rock, also provided another
direct link into a large audience group, the fans of WWE wrestling.
The popularity of WWE wrestling is global and the character
of The Rock is one of the most famous wrestlers from the last
decade. He is referred to as his character name, The Rock,
in the trailer rather than his real name. There is also a clip
from the film where he raises one eyebrow and poses menacingly.
This is another direct reference to popular culture. The eyebrow
pose is synonymous with the character of The Rock and is well
known to anyone who has ever watched WWE wrestling. The inclusion
of a famous ex wrestler will attract another guaranteed audience
type, an audience that is catered for through his exposure
in the trailer.
In terms of genre, Be Cool is sold as both a comedy and a
gangster film. The scenes used in the trailer fall generally
into two categories, one liners and jokes and images of violence.
The majority are comical clips from the film inserted with
shots of Chili beating up bikers and references to gangster
rappers and the Russian mafia. The trailer for Be Cool sells
the film in a variety of alternative ways. It allows for the
film to be interpreted differently by different viewers or
audience types. Essentially it can be broken down into the
following:
1. A star vehicle for John Travolta, Harvey
Keitel, Uma Thurman or The Rock
2. A comedy/gangster film
3. An adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel
4. A sequel to a popular film
5. The latest film from the director of The Italian Job (2003)
The trailer for Be Cool uses established
tastes in other area’s
of popular culture and entertainment and offers to the audience
a set of what Thomas Austin calls “guaranteed pleasures”4,
something that is already known to the audience, something
they are familiar with. Not only do these marketing tactics
act as the ‘guaranteed pleasures’ that Austin mentioned,
but also as ‘guaranteed returns’ for the film studio’s.
There is evidently less risk in offering to the cinema going
public a film that they know and understand before they have
even entered the theatre.
The Foreign Language Film Trailer
The difficulty in selling a foreign
film, especially to a British audience, is the bane of distributors
who are given the task of promoting it. The notion of reading
subtitles, the lack of a recognisable star and the sense
of ‘otherness’ in
the foreign film, breed’s unfamiliarity and disinterest
in many a cinemagoer. After all, why would someone watch a
French drama when they can see Travolta and Thurman strut their
stuff on the dance floor? Often, a trailer for a foreign language
film will play to its strengths and focus on aspects of its
 potential appeal to a Western audience. The British trailer’s
for The Chorus (2005)
and House
of Flying Daggers (2004) contain no dialogue in them
whatsoever. Instead, the trailer for The Chorus consists of
scenes from the film set to a song from the soundtrack. The
marketing focus is directly centred on the music from the film,
the soundtrack of which has sold well. Likewise, the trailer
for House of Flying Daggers removes the
element of the foreign language in favour of the striking imagery
and use of colour in the film. The martial arts aspect is dominant
and we are witness to images of spectacular choreography set
to the same theme music as used in Gladiator (2000). The connection
to Hero (2002) is also referred to through text which states ‘From
the director who brought you Hero’, a link to a film
that was successful in the U.K. The need to instil a sense
of recognition into the trailer is a vital aspect to consider
in its production, especially for foreign language films. To
detract away from the fact that it is a foreign language film
also seems to be a consistent trait of these trailers. By focussing
on other aspects such as visual imagery and music, the fact
that the films are in a foreign language is softened, almost
whispered as an afterthought once we have been transfixed by
the stunning visuals and the uplifting soundtrack.
The existence of the film trailer is
short lived. Despite all of the time, thought and effort
put into it’s production
and the importance it has in the success of a film it is forgotten
and discarded once the film itself is released. They live on
as DVD extras but are largely ignored in the studies of cinema
and marketing. In the two or three minutes the trailer has
to interest us there are certain marketing strategies it must
adhere to gain our interest. Recognition, memorable images,
logos or music must all be used and exploited in order to hit
home with as many sectors of the audience as possible. The
trailers that fail to succeed in this task are the ones we
forget, and if the trailers are easily forgotten then so is
the film.
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